Sauron

From the One Wiki to Rule Them All, the Lord of the Rings Encyclopedia.

    

The main part of this article relates to the last versions of Middle-earth's history, and as such may controvert parts of The Silmarillion. See Middle-earth canon for a discussion. This subject's portrayal in earlier or alternative versions is discussed in the other versions of the legendarium section.

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Sauron in the Lord of the Rings films

Sauron

Biographical information

Other names

Annatar, Artano, Gorthaur the Cruel, The Enemy, The Dark Power, The Great Eye (TA only), Necromancer, The Sorcerer, The Black Hand, The Nameless Enemy, Thauron, Thû

Titles

Dark Lord, Lord of Mordor, Lord of Barad-Dûr, Lord of the Earth, The Lord of the Rings

Date of birth

Before the creation of Arda

Year ascended to the throne

Date of death

March 25, 3019

Realms ruled

Spouse

Weapon

One Ring, Mace, sword

Physical description

Race

Maia

Culture

Maiar of Aulë

Gender

Male

Height

Very tall (movie)

Hair color

Black

Eye color

Brown

Peter Jackson's Film Trilogy

Actor

Sala Baker

Voice

Character

"There is no life in the void, only death."

—Sauron, after Frodo puts the ring on

Sauron was the Dark Lord Morgoth's abominable lieutenant during the First Age. He was also the creator of the Rings of Power and the Dark Lord of Mordor, whom the Fellowship of the Ring sought to defeat. His name was formerly Thauron, and came from the elvish word "thaur" meaning "abominable" or "abhorrent".

[edit] Biography

[edit] Sauron in the First Age

Sauron in the First Age

In the earliest of days, before the Valar entered Arda, Sauron was originally a Maia. He was at first a powerful ally of Aulë, the Smith, a Vala. However, Sauron was soon corrupted by the Dark Lord Morgoth (an evil Vala and Dark Enemy of Arda), and Sauron himself turned to evil. At first being a spy for Morgoth, telling him the Valar's doings. Ever after, Sauron served Morgoth faithfully, and even in later days, after Morgoth was defeated and locked outside the confines of the world, Sauron encouraged and coerced some men to worship Morgoth as a god. However, while Morgoth wanted to either control or destroy the very matter of Arda itself, Sauron's desire was to dominate the minds and wills of its creatures, as well as establish himself as the ruler of Arda from his tower of Barad-Dur in Mordor. However, he originally dwelt in Angband in the Iron Mountains for a short period of time before Melkor came and claimed it again in the First Age.

During the First Age, the Ñoldorin elves left the Blessed Realm of Valinor in the Utter West (against the counsel of the Valar) in order to wage war on Morgoth, who had stolen the Silmarils, enchanted gems that glowed with light from them. In that war, Sauron served as Morgoth's Chief lieutenant, surpassing all others in rank save Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs. Known as Gorthaur the Cruel, Sauron at that time was a master of illusions and changes of form, and werewolves were his servants, chief among them Draugluin, Sire of Werewolves, and Thuringwethil, his vampire Herald. When Morgoth left Angband to corrupt the newly awakened Atani (Men), Sauron directed the War against the Elves. He conquered the elvish isle of Tol Sirion, so that it became known as Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves. Ten years later, Finrod Felagund, the king of Nargothrond and former lord of Tol Sirion died protecting Beren in captivity; soon afterward Lúthien and Huan the Wolfhound defeated Sauron in that place and rescued Beren from the dungeons into which Sauron had thrown him. After his defeat by Lúthien, Sauron played little part in the events of the First Age (possibly hiding from Morgoth's wrath), and after his master was defeated and taken to Valinor in chains, Sauron repented (apparently) and pleaded for mercy. But he was unwilling to return to the Utter West for judgment, and so he fled and hid.

[edit] Gorthaur

Gorthaur' was the Sindarin name given to Sauron during the First and Second Age. This title was often followed by the appositive of "The Cruel".

[edit] Sauron in the Second Age

Annatar, Sauron the Fair (unused imagery from the Return of the King (movie) )

After lying hidden and dormant for about 1000 years, Sauron put on a fair visage in the Second Age, and calling himself Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts", he befriended the Elvish smiths of Eregion, and counseled them in arts and magic. Not all the Elves trusted him, particularly Lady Galadriel and Gil-galad, High King of the Ñoldor, but few listened to them. Then the Elves forged Rings of Power, but in secret Sauron forged the One Ring to rule the Elvish rings, upon this ring he scripted the words:

One Ring to Rule Them All, One Ring to Find Them, One Ring to Bring Them All, and in the Darkness Bind Them,

investing most of his own power into the Ring as he forged it he became even stronger than even the mightiest of the Valar Melkor, although only being a Maia himself. When Sauron put on the One Ring and tried to dominate the Elves, they resisted, and Sauron came upon them in the War of the Elves and Sauron and, had it not been for the intervention of Númenor, he might have defeated them.

The Eye of Sauron on the tower of Barad-Dûr, as shown in Peter Jackson's The Lord of The Rings film trilogy.

In this time Sauron became the Dark Lord of Mordor. He raised Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower, near Mount Doom (where he had forged the One Ring), constructed the Black Gate of Mordor to prevent invasion, and raised massive armies of orcs, Trolls, and Men, chiefly Easterlings and Southrons. Because of this, towards the end of the Second Age, Sauron assumed the titles of "Lord of the Earth" and "King of Men".

This offended the Númenóreans, the powerful Men descended from those who had fought against Melkor in the War of Wrath;  some were the descendents, through Elros,  of Beren and Lúthien. These Men lived on the island of Númenor in the sea between Middle-earth and Valinor. The Númenóreans, who were then proud, came to Middle-earth with astounding force of arms. Sauron's forces fled, and Sauron was taken as hostage to Númenor by King Ar-Pharazôn. There, he quickly grew from captive to advisor; he converted many Númenóreans to the worship of Morgoth, and raised a great temple in which he performed human sacrifices. Finally, he convinced Ar-Pharazôn to rebel against the Valar and attack Valinor itself. Eru (God) then directly intervened -- Númenor was drowned under the sea, and the great navy of Númenor was destroyed. The world was bent, so that thereafter only Elven-Ships could sail into the Utter West. Sauron was diminished in the flood of Númenor, and fled back to Mordor, where he slowly rebuilt his strength during the time known as the Dark Years.

Sauron wields the awesome power of The One Ring.

Sauron's destruction at the hands of Isildur.

From this point on he was unable to assume a fair shape, and ruled now through terror and force. A few faithful Númenóreans were saved from the flood, and they founded Gondor and Arnor in Middle-earth. These faithful Men, led by Elendil and his sons, allied with the Elven-king, Gil-galad, and together fought Sauron and, after long war, defeated him, although both Elendil and Gil-galad were slain. Isildur, son of Elendil, cut the One Ring from Sauron's finger and claimed it. But later the Ring betrayed him, so that Isildur was slain by orcs at Gladden Fields, and the Ring was lost for centuries.

Sauron forging the One Ring.

[edit] Sauron in the Third Age

In the Third Age, Sauron rose again, at first in a stronghold called Dol Guldur, the Hill of Sorcery, in southern Mirkwood. There he was disguised as a dark sorcerer called the Necromancer, and the Elves did not realize at first that he was actually Sauron returned. Gandalf the Grey stole into Dol Guldur and discovered the truth; eventually the White Council of Wizards and Elves put forth their might and drove Sauron out. But the White Council was led by Saruman, who wanted the Ring, for himself. Sauron simply moved back to Mordor and raised again Barad-dûr. He fortified Mordor and prepared for war against Gondor and the Elves, with Saruman now corrupted by him.

The tower of Barad-Dûr, on top of which is the Eye of Sauron.

Sauron bred immense armies of orcs, torturing elves to create them. He allied with and enslaved Men from the east and south. He gathered his most terrifying servants, the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, each wearing one of the nine rings designed for mortal men. Sauron adopted the symbol of a lidless eye, and he was able at that time to send out his will over Middle-earth, so that the Eye of Sauron was a symbol of power and fear.

However, he was defeated when his One Ring, found by Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit, was cast into the Crack of Doom (or the Fires of Orodruin) in Mordor where it had been made. The Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins, actually failed at the last moment, unable to resist the power of the Ring at the place of its birth; but an earlier bearer of the Ring, Gollum, saved him by recovering the Ring in a desperate attempt to possess it and then falling in himself (Gollum died without a care in the world; his dreams had been fulfilled). Thus, it was ultimately Frodo, Sam and Bilbo's pity in sparing Gollum's life that led to the Dark Lord's defeat. Thus, Sauron's power was unmade, and his corporeal power in Middle-earth came to an end. His spirit towered above Mordor like a malevolent black cloud, but was blown away by a powerful wind from the west, and Sauron was now permanently crippled, never to rise again. (Saruman was soon to suffer a lesser version of this fate when Grima betrayed him.)

[edit] Weapons

the main weapon used by Sauron is a mace, witch is a handle attatched to pitch fork shaped club.
It is the weapon Sauron uses in the last alliance and the weapon that kills Elendil. It is never said that Sauron's mace has any supernatural powers, though it does seem to be more lethal than a common mace. No other weapons are known to be used by Sauron. When just a spirit, Sauron has many evil powers, for example, he can see the person that owns the ring and control his mind in a way, as Bilbo Baggins states "[the feeling] has been growing on my mind lately. Sometimes I have felt it was like an eye looking at me. And I am always wanting to put [the Ring] on and disappear, or wondering if it is safe, and pulling on it to make sure."   

[edit] Does Sauron Live after the Third Age?

To answer this question, one must fully understand the nature of Sauron and the One Ring.

When the Ring was cut from his hand, he lost his bodily form and remained so for a few thousand years. This is because Sauron diverted all of his power, hatred, cruelty and malice into the Ring. However, as Isildur failed to destroy the Ring, Sauron's power steadily grew. Being a Maia, though severely weakened in comparison to his former self, Sauron was able to create another body for himself. Gollum states in Lord of the Rings that Sauron "has only four (fingers) on the Black Hand", but it is unclear why Sauron was unable to restore the fifth.

So after the ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron was completely broken. Destruction of the Ring cost him his body, his strength and all of his old powerful self. Being an Ainu, Sauron wasn't killed and continues to "live"; but with the destruction of the Ring, Sauron can only exist in spirit form and can never rebuild his strength. Take Barad-dûr as an example of Sauron and the Ring. Gondorians had Barad-dûr taken to pieces at the end of the Second Age, but as the Ring continued to exist, Barad-dûr could not be truly taken apart. When the Ring was destroyed, Barad-dûr completely collapsed into ruin and Sauron was permanently defeated. While evil will continue to exist, Sauron will never emerge as a Dark Lord again.

There is also an argument against this. The argument is that Sauron could not continue to live, as he was sucked into the Void from which there can be no return. In addition, the film depicts Sauron (who does in this series seem to be the Eye) being destroyed along with the One Ring.

However, Sauron may yet arise during the Dagor Dagorath when Morgoth returns to Arda at the end of times.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] In the books

• The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Two Towers
• The Return of the King
• The Silmarillion
• The Children of Húrin
• The Hobbit (mentioned only)
• Unfinished Tales

[edit] In the movies

• The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Two Towers
• The Return of the King

[edit] In the video games

• The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Battle_for_Middle-earth
• Battle for Middle-earth II
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

[edit] Names and Titles

Sauron (originally Thauron) was Quenya, and can be translated as the Abhorred or the Abomination; in Sindarin he was called Gorthaur the Necromancer, the Abhorred Dread. He was also called the Nameless Enemy, which was hardly accurate (but perhaps an effort to lessen his psychological impact), whereas Morgoth was the Dark Enemy. The Dúnedain called him Sauron the Deceiver due to his role in the downfall of Númenor and the Forging of the Rings of Power. It was also during this time, when he sought to enslave the elves that he became know as Annatar, 'Lord of Gifts', Artano meaning 'high smith', and Aulendil which meant 'Devotee of Aulë' and was probably chosen to appeal to the Noldor still living in Middle-earth, as they were masters of craft. At his greatest power during the Second Age he assumed the title of Lord of the Earth and later King of Men, making him an enemy of the powerful Númenórean king Ar-Pharazôn. His most common titles, the Dark Lord of Mordor and the Lord of the Rings, appear only a few times in the books. His other titles were similar to Morgoth's.

His name is pronounced "sour-on" (sour as in not sweet), or in IPA as: /'sɑʊɻɒn/.

See also Akallabêth, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age.

[edit] Other versions of the legendarium

Prior to the publication of The Silmarillion, Sauron's origins and true identity were unclear to those without full access to Tolkien's notes. In early editions of the Guide to Middle Earth, Sauron is described as "probably of the Eldar elves."

Since the earliest versions of the Silmarillion legendarium (as detailed in the History of Middle-earth series) Sauron has undergone many changes. The prototype of this character was Tevildo, Prince of Cats, who played the role later taken by Sauron in the earliest version of the story of Beren and Lúthien in The Book of Lost Tales. Tevildo later (but still in the Book of Lost Tales period) was transformed into Thû, the Necromancer. The name was then changed to Gorthû, Sûr, and finally to Sauron. Gorthû, in the form Gorthaur remained in The Silmarillion. In Numenor he was known (according to the Notion Club Papers and associated writings) as Zigûr.

[edit] Sauron's genealogy

Ilúvatar  Morgoth corrupts Sauron's early spirit (many names for stages)    
        |                                     |    
     Morgoth                               Sauron

[edit] Related Trivia

• Sauron appears in the Family Guy episode, Sibling Rivalry, as the Eye of Sauron, desperately searching for his lost contact lens.
• Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter is very similar to Sauron. Both are named Dark Lords and both have items that render them immortal unless they are destroyed (By Lord of the Rings standards, the term "immortal" is taken a bit further, as it is usually used to describe an elf or a Maiar, both of which can live forever if not killed in battle). As a result of Sauron's One Ring and Voldemort's Horcruxes, situations that would have killed them render them both formless and as vapor. While Sauron never got his power back, however, Voldemort did.
• In the book series The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Sauron has a resemblance to the main antagonist, Shai'tan. They have in common the name lord of the dark, and how both Sauron, Shai'tan, and their forces are collectively called the shadow. They both have their primary abode resides near a mountain, as well as the plot line of the main story revolving around the mountain. Also, both Shai'tan (commonly referred to as the dark one) and Sauron have their own lands (the Dark One's include the Blight and the blasted lands). Also, the Dark One has many creatures of darkness bent to his will, as well many men, known as darkfriends, including the 13 most powerful channlers (magic wielders) named the Forsaken, not unlike the nazgul (except the Forsaken joined the shadow of their own free will. However, The Dark One is perceived to be much more powerful, so that if he ever even touches the world, all of the land shall turn to shadow. He is more perceived as the Anti-thesis to the people's god, the Creator.

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